Wolf O'Donnell is a fictional character from the Star Fox series, and main rival of Fox McCloud, the protagonist of the series. He is the leader of the mercenary team Star Wolf, and uses his signature ship, the Wolfen. As his name implies, he is based on a wolf.

Appearance and Personality

Wolf has gray and white fur that is clipped very close to his head in a buzz cut. Wolf's pointed gray ears rise above his head. His one visible eye is purple, and Wolf always seems to have an enraged look in that eye. This is intensified by his usually glaring white eyebrows. Wolf is also of tall height, being taller than Fox, Falco, Krystal, and other characters.

Hidden under his white muzzle are his sharp white fangs and he also has knife-like claws. Wolf has a short white beard on his chin and a rough gray tail which has a split at the tip. His body fur is gray and white. Wolf has a very muscular build, and coupled with his size advantage over the other characters, it doesn't come as a surprise that he is the strongest of all the main characters in the series. Possibly one of the most recognizable features of Wolf is his mechanical eyepatch, which replaced the eyepatch he used in Star Fox 64. He speaks with a voice reminiscent of a British aristocrat.

In Star Fox: Assault, he had gone through a complete revamp. He was dressed in leather clothing with spiked shoulder guards, had replaced his eyepatch with a mechanical one, and spoke in a gruffer voice, possibly with a slight accent of the southern states. The game also showed that Wolf wasn't a complete villain like Andross and that he actually respected Fox. Star Fox Command shows him looking virtually the same as his Star Fox: Assault appearance. His personality, though, was greatly changed. He was far less serious and shown to be far more sarcastic and impatient, similar to Wario of the Mario series.[1].

Development (Out of Game)

In Game History

"A scoundrel well-known throughout the Lylat system as the leader of the ruffian gang Star Wolf. He's crossed paths and laser fire with Fox on numerous occasions; each considers the other his eternal rival." - instruction booklet, p. 39, Star Fox: Assault.

"Leader of Star Wolf. O'Donnell is wanted for larceny and treason. He is Fox McCloud's arch-nemesis. O'Donnell has made it his mission to destroy Team Star Fox." - Nintendo, Star Fox Assault.[2]

Spoiler warning:The following contains key plot or ending details.

Early History

Most of Wolf's early history is unknown. It is also unknown what caused Wolf's rivalry with Fox, though some sources state that it was because Wolf also had rivalry with Fox's father, James McCloud[3]. Wolf eventually met up with Leon Powalski and ex-Star Fox member Pigma Dengar and formed his own mercenary team, Star Wolf.

Rivalry

Wolf tailing Fox on Fichina.

Shortly before the Lylat Wars, Andross hired Wolf and his team to defeat the Star Fox team. Andross put his nephew, Andrew Oikonny, on the team to monitor them. Wolf first attacked Star Fox with his team on Fichina while they attempted to diffuse a bomb in a Cornerian base. Wolf tailed Fox during the battle but was defeated quickly and escaped into space. Later, if Fox went to the Bolse Defense Satellite, Wolf and his team attacked Fox again, though they met defeat again.

If Fox got to Venom from Area 6, Wolf would appear before the gates of Andross's lair, both him and his team in new, redesigned ships called Wolfen IIs. Wolf once again tailed Fox, but, even though Wolf used all the piloting skills he could muster, was again defeated.

Wolf's True Side

Wolf returning to his base to find his rival Fox.

Shortly after the fall of Andross, Wolf left the Venomian Army with his team. Andrew left the team due to having little interest in it. Wolf also decided to kick off Pigma for his greed and hired Panther Caroso to replace him. Wolf eventually became leader of a hideout of thugs that was partly made up of those that deserted the Venomian Army. Nine years after Venom's fall, Wolf once again met with his rival, Fox, at his base. Fox had come looking for Pigma and greatly damaged the base while Wolf and his team were gone. Wolf returned and challenged Fox, demanding revenge for his fallen base. Wolf put up a good fight, but was once again defeated by his rival. He called off the fight and told Fox that Pigma was no longer part of Star Wolf. Later, when the Star Fox team went to the Asteroid Belt to find Pigma, they found the broken remains of Star Wolf's ships. Though Krystal revealed that the team had escaped, it is unknown how.

Wolf later flew his team to Corneria for unknown reasons. He arrived just in time to save Fox from an Aparoid ambush and Fox flew on his Wolfen's wing. Wolf assisted Fox in his fight with the infected General Pepper. After the general's defeat, Wolf gave Fox some advice on fighting the Aparoids and then flew off. He later returned to help the Star Fox team destroy the Aparoid missiles targeting the Beltino Orbital Gate and followed the team into the portal to the Aparoid Homeworld.

Wolf and his team flew into the core of the homeworld after the destruction of the Great Fox. He met up with the Star Fox team close to the entrance and the seven pilots began their journey to the lair of the Aparoid Queen.

Wolf at the end of Star Fox: Assault.

Wolf told the Star Fox team that he wasn't just going to sit back while they did all the work. When Fox told Wolf to be careful, he told Fox to keep his advice to himself, but later agreed that the Aparoids were getting powerful. When the Aparoids began to thicken right before the queen's lair, Wolf told Fox's team to head on and then distracted the Aparoids with Leon and Panther. When Krystal later remembered Wolf's sacrifice during the battle, Fox told her that he and his team might still be alive.

A Change of Heart

A wanted poster depicting the Star Wolf team.

Wolf and his team had indeed survived the Aparoid invasion, but had gone back to their illegal habits and an enormous bounty was put on their heads. In an attempt to rid themselves of this bounty, the team decided to assist in the fight against the Anglar Empire. Wolf even allowed another ex-member of Star Fox, Krystal, to join his team to do so.

Canon warning:The following content contains information that has not been confirmed canon or non canon.

Fog of War

This story occurs if Fox and Slippy go to Fichina to aid Lucy Hare.

Wolf, along with Leon and Panther, encountered Fox and Slippy on Fichina once more. Expecting Fox to be here for his bounty, Wolf challenged him to a battle, but was defeated. Fox let him go, saying that he had more important things to do and Wolf disappeared for the remainder of the storyline until Krystal later rejoined Star Wolf.

Former Rivals

This story occurs if Fox goes to Fichina to hire Wolf after flying with Dash on Corneria.

Once again, Wolf was found by Fox on Fichina. He dueled Fox along with his teammates Panther and Leon, but was defeated. Wolf decided to accept Fox's offer to hire him to fight the Anglar. The two went to Solar to meet up with Falco. While waiting, Wolf revealed that Krystal had joined the team and was with Panther. He laughed when he realized how shaken Fox was and told Fox that he was going soft. When Falco arrived, he mistook Wolf for Fox and who promptly corrected him. Wolf came up with the idea to destroy the Solar Satalite through its own power, and, with Fox and Falco, succeded.

Wolf's Plot

Wolf decided to follow the two to the desert planet Titania. There, he, Fox, and Falco, fought against Andross's bioweapons and obtained a machine to neutralize the acidity of the Venom Sea. Wolf revealed he knew all about the machine and that it was Krystal's plan for him to betray the team and take it. He then fled to Venom.

Star Wolf Returns

This story occurs if Wolf betrays Fox and Falco, or if Krystal does not accept Fox's apology of Katina.

Wolf and his team claiming their titles as heroes of Lylat.

At Venom, Wolf met up with the rest of his team and fired the machine into the Venom Sea, allowing them to fight the Anglar. Wolf destroyed the Anglar base and fought the Anglar Emperor to the death with his team. There, the emperor was defeated and the team basked in their new glory. Wolf felt slight remorse and Krystal told him it was from betraying the Star Fox team. Leon said that Wolf was going soft and Wolf quickly denied everything.

The Curse of Pigma

This story occurs if ROB chases Wolf with Fox and Falco.

When Fox and Falco entered Sector Y they encountered the strange, robotic remains of Pigma. Wolf had made a deal with him, but he was quickly destroyed. Wolf later gave a system wide announcement of his defeating the Anglar Empire.

Spoiler warning:Spoilers end here.

Super Smash Bros. Tournaments

Wolf's cameo apperance in Melee.

Wolf first appeared in the Super Smash Bros. series as a cameo in the introduction movie to Super Smash Bros. Melee. He was also mentioned in several trophy descriptions. Wolf made his first playable appearance as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is generally heavy character and uses moves similar to Fox, though less similar than Falco.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Wolf's artwork for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Wolf's appearance in Brawl is loosely based on his appearance in Star Fox: Assault, but his build generally custom, unlike Fox and Falco who are based on their appearances in Star Fox Command. Wolf is usually unlocked last due to his small role in the Subspace Emissary and the high amount of versus mode fights necessary to unlock him. Two good points about him are wall-jumping, and the fact that he leans over while standing still, which gives him the smallest hitbox out of all the Star Fox characters. Unfortunatly, he is the slowest out of all Star Fox characters. He has a blaster as his standard special move that fires energy bursts. There is also a dagger on the end, which will damaged those close enough. His side special move is the Wolf Flash, which acts similarly to the Fox Illusion, but is on a diagonal path. Hitting an opponent at the last second of this move will cause them to rocket downwards. Wolf's recovery special is the Fire Wolf, which is the same as Fox's recovery but goes farther. Ironically, the move does not have the fire effect, despite the name. Wolf's down special is a reflector like Fox's and the but works like Marth's Counter attack as well. Wolf's Final Smash allows him to summon a Landmaster with Star Wolf colors. It is more powerful than Fox and Falco's but does not last as long. Wolf's on-screen appearance shows him ejecting from a Wolfen.

The Subspace Emissary

Wolf's intro scene in the Subspace Emissary.

Wolf has no role in the Subspace Emissary and is only seen in one cutscene. A secret door in The Ruins led to a duel with Wolf where he was shown appearing in a similar way to his on-screen appearance with the Star Wolf theme playing. Wolf then dueled the one invading his lair on the Lylat Cruise stage. Upon defeating him, Wolf was unlocked for standard use in all modes of the game.

A pilot whose real name is Wolf O'Donnell. He leads a group of mercenaries called Star Wolf. He's crossed paths with Fox many times, and each acknowledges the other as a competent rival. Wolf's constant interference with Fox is a result of Wolf's history with Fox's dad, James. Wolf's long history of criminal enterprise has resulted in a large bounty on his head.

Wolf's Final Smash. Wolf analyzed Fox's Landmaster and built his own improved version, which he now calls out and boards. He's increased the output of the onboard generators and upped the vehicle's firepower. However, this has substantially decreased the time the Landmaster can appear on the screen. It sports the same colors as Wolf's Wolfen.